In recent years, the practical operating range of clear brines for use in the oil and gas industry has been significantly extended by utilizing soluble zinc salts, particularly zinc bromide, so that the advantages of clear brines can now be obtained with fluids having densities as high as 19.2 pounds per gallon at ambient temperatures and pressures.
The high density clear brines are used extensively: as completion fluids to minimize plugging of perforation tunnels, to protect formation permeability, and to minimize mechanical problems; as workover fluids, for the same reasons; as packer fluids, to allow easy movement and retrieval of the packer; for underreaming, gravel-pack and sand consolidation applications; as kill fluid or ballast fluid; for wire-line work; and as drilling fluids.
Clear brines having a density of 14.2 pounds per gallon (ppg) or lower are generally formulated to contain sodium chloride, sodium bromide, potassium chloride, calcium chloride, calcium bromide, or mixtures of these salts. Clear brines having a density up to about 15.1 ppg can be formulated with calcium chloride and calcium bromide; however, if the brine must have a low crystallization temperature, then clear brines in this density range are generally formulated to contain a soluble zinc salt. Zinc bromide is preferred because brines containing it are less corrosive than brines containing zinc chloride. Clear brines having a density greater than about 15.1 ppg are formulated to contain zinc bromide.
Viscous clear fluids are sometimes desired. It is known to use hydrophilic polymeric materials such as hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) as thickening agents for aqueous mediums used in such well servicing fluids. However, HEC is not readily hydrated, solvated or dispersed in aqueous systems having a density greater than about 13.5 pounds per gallon without elevated temperatures and/or mixing under high shear for extended periods of time. For example, hydroxyethyl cellulose polymers are poorly hydrated, solvated or dispersed in such aqueous solutions containing one or more multivalent cation water soluble salts, such as heavy brines which are commonly used in well servicing fluids. In many cases, as for example in workover operations, the equipment available for preparing the well servicing fluids does not readily lend itself to high temperature, high shear mixing. Accordingly, it is usually necessary, if it is desired to use such thickened brines to prepare them off the well site. Moreover, HEC is generally considered as unsatisfactory and ineffective in heavy brines containing zinc bromide.